Author: Christina Lovelock

Christina is an experienced BA leader, has built BA teams ranging in size from 5 to 120 Business Analysts and champions entry level BA roles. She is active in the BA professional community, attending and regularly speaking at events. Christina is an examiner for the International Diploma in Business Analysis and is also a director of the UK BA Manager Forum. She has co-authored the 2019 book, Delivering Business Analysis: The BA Service Handbook, which shares insights and findings from research into Business Analysis, practical guidance for BA leaders, and case studies from across the professional community. https://www.linkedin.com/in/christina-lovelock

Change Resistance: 3 Types Of No

Written by Christina Lovelock on March 17, 2021. Posted in Articles.

People say ‘no’ to us all the time. This can seem very final, a total unwillingness to engage.

Understanding which type of ‘no’ we are hearing can help us to avoid labelling people as ‘resistant to change’, and promote more effective engagement.

Resistant To Change

Change professionals can forget how hard it is to change. Organisations enter into seemingly un-ending change programmes, restructures and transformations. For those whose job is not part of this change industry, all of these well-intentioned initiatives feel like a distraction from ‘real’ business objectives and personal goals. So, as change professionals, we hear ‘no’ a lot. It comes it lots of forms such as “No one is able to attend that workshop”, “It is not possible to release anyone for the project team” and “We’re too busy”.

It is not possible to conduct business analysis or achieve any kind of change without other people. We need their input, we need to ask questions, we need them to engage. When they are unwilling, we can be quick to label them as ‘resistant to change’.

The Three Types Of ‘No’

People often avoid actually saying no, and they certainly avoid giving their real reasons and motivation for doing so.

I Can’t

This usually comes down to either capability or capacity. I can’t help you because:

I don’t know how
I don’t have time
I don’t have anyone available
I don’t have the tools/knowledge/data required
I don’t have the budget

This can be a helpful type of no, because it may reveal incorrect assumptions or the lack of knowledge or resources. It may also provide sign-posting to the best-next-step or person who does have what is needed. If there is willingness to help, but practical issues make it a ‘no’… this can be useful too. Creating a conversation which adds “yet” to the and of all the above statements changes the narrative. It becomes a discussion about planning: obtaining funds or resources, scheduling work, obtaining information.

I’m Not Allowed

There may be real or perceived barriers to saying yes – in the form of ‘permission’ concerns.

This can include:

That’s not part of my role/job description
My manager doesn’t want me to
I don’t have access/authorisation

These types of restriction may be real – in which they can be investigated and challenged to understand if they are still relevant or a product of historic decisions, assumptions and preconceptions. If they are perceived limitations, they can also be explored and challenged. Again, if there is a willingness to help many of these blockers can be overcome, the first hurdle is to identify them!

I Won’t

The trickiest type of no is one which is underpinned by unwillingness to help. This can be fuelled by issues such as:

I don’t want too
I don’t agree
I don’t like you/the project/the work

Control is a major factor in whether we enjoy our work or not. People sometimes refuse to engage in one area as a reaction to a lack of control in another. Change initiatives often see education about the change as the way to overcome resistance. “Sell the benefits!”, “Explain what’s in it for them!”…

Listening rather than telling may be the best way forward from an “I won’t”. Be genuinely curious, try to see their perspective and try to address concerns and barriers. Not everyone will be convinced or motivated to be involved. Decided how much time and energy can by spent on one person.

One ‘No’ Disguised As Another

The most socially acceptable and ubiquitous type of no is “I am too busy”. This is an “I can’t” statement. When we reframe this as a question of priority as opposed to time, it can help to move the conversation forward – however “too busy” maybe a stalling tactic, where the underlying no is really: I won’t.

If attempts at tacking the question of priority, and addressing potential scheduling options do not work, then the underlying cause is not really time. Handling this honestly and openly, looking for the common ground or areas of potential compromise may help. If all else fails consider escalating appropriately, but this should not be the first thought.

Conclusion

For people to say “yes” to our many requests for input and engagement they need three things: capability, capacity and motivation.

Appropriate and proactive training and development, planning, and communication clearly have significant roles to play in ensuring these three things are in place. However, at a human and day to day level, we can all try to understand the “no” we are hearing, and work with that person professionally and compassionately to achieve the best outcomes for our organisations.

Why do we self-censor?

Written by Christina Lovelock on February 4, 2021. Posted in Articles.

Obviously No One Says EXACTLY What They Are Thinking All Of The Time, But Why Do We Hold Back What We Believe To Be Valuable Contributions? In The World Of Remote Working, It Is Important To Understand This Issue.

In this context, it’s when we make a decision not to put forward our idea, question, opinion, objection or point of view. In same-room meetings, it was easy to see when someone’s body language changed, or when someone began to look confused, thoughtful or hesitant. Good meeting-chairs, and good colleagues, would pick up on this and invite the contribution. In video calls it is much more difficult to pick on these cues, so many contributions are being missed.

BAs need to be aware of self-censoring from two perspectives 1) our stakeholders may not provide the information or insight we need from them 2) we may be stopping ourselves form contributing due to a variety of underlying causes.

Here are some of the reasons people hold back.Here are some of the reasons people hold back.

Don’t rock the boat

Many of us prefer to maintain the outward illusion of a harmonious team than face some of the more difficult questions. Unfortunately the disharmony will spill out in other ways, impacting relationships and productivity. To further extend this metaphor – checking that everyone knows where we are headed and is rowing in the same direction is not the same as ‘rocking the boat’!

Confidence of convictions

If someone makes a very confident statement we believe to be wrong or disagree with, it’s difficult to voice another idea if we feel uncertain. Some people sound very confident all of the time, and leave no room for alternative interpretation or doubt. This can leave others feeling “there’s no point arguing with them”. This is not a positive outcome for organisations. Research shows that when people are “100% certain” of something, they are only right about 85% of the time.

Level of investment

When we don’t really care about the topic or issue, its more likely we will hold back. Sometimes a topic feels off track, unnecessarily detailed or covering old ground. Particularly in long meetings, or towards the end of meetings, people have mentally moved on and we are unlikely to making the best quality contribution.

If we find ourselves consistently uninterested in the outcome of discussion, perhaps it’s time to look for a new room and a new discussion.

Discomfort and fear

Many of us avoid conflict, because it feels uncomfortable. We worry that relationships may deteriorate or be affected. We need to invest in relationships to create the trust required to constructively disagree, the security to express dissenting views. We also fear endless debate, and may feel unwilling to prolong the discussion further! People also worry about looking foolish or deliberately uncooperative. Fear is a major factor in self-censorship.

Assuming everyone else agrees

When everyone else stays silent, it is easy to assume they all agree. When we believe we are the only one ‘out on a limb’/ ‘willing to stick their head above the parapet’ (whichever analogy is more prevalent in your organisation) we are less will in to speak our minds.

The most innovative and productive teams have competing ideas and multiple perspectives.

How can we avoid it?

Good facilitation

Online meetings need different facilitation skills to face-to-face meetings. Getting the best contribution from every participant, keeping everyone engaged and not simply seeking quick-agreement are essential. The ability to exchange questioning glances or clarify positions on the way into a meeting have been reduced – we must make it easier for people to speak when they have a different point of view.

Inviting a minority opinion with phrases such as “Is there another way of looking at this?”, “What could we be missing here?” and “Let’s hear from some who is not totally convinced” make it much more acceptable to voice dissent than questions which don’t really invite further contribution such as “So, are we all in agreement?”.

Also consider:

Not all contribution needs to be verbal – encourage or make different types of contribution though chat function and collaboration tools.
Not all contribution needs to be ‘in the room’ – provide or take opportunities to contribute before or after sessions.

Self-reflection

It is useful to reflect on our contribution with questions such as:

“Am I happy with my level of contribution in that session?”
“Did I encourage others to speak?”
“Is there something I stopped myself from saying? Was it important?”
“How can I progress that contribution outside the meeting?”

Create a culture of reflection by posing some of these questions at the end of a session.

Conclusion

As business analysts, we need to understand this issue, as it has the potential to significantly affect our work. Being alert to self-censorship means we can encourage participation and ensure we don’t miss out on an important contribution from others, and we can question our own motivations when we choose to stay silent.

Leaders, Followers and Trusted Advisors

Written by Christina Lovelock on December 2, 2020. Posted in Articles.

You may be interested in developing your leadership skills as a BA – but have you ever stopped to think about the quality of your followership skills?

We live in a world where the quality of leadership is considered to be absolutely critical to the success or failure of projects and organisations, but almost no emphasis is placed on the concept of followership. The role of ‘followers’ in organisations is often minimised, though clearly good leadership relies on good followership to actually get things done.

There are negative connotations with the word follower, no one wants to see themselves as a follower, we all want to emphasise our leadership skills and qualities. We seem to ignore the fact that being a leader almost always involves being a follower too. Everyone has a boss.

Types of Leaders

There are many leadership styles. Some are adopted consciously by leaders who understand their own values, reflect on their own behaviours and understands the impacts of their words and actions. Others are the product of default actions or inherited approaches. Leadership has been the focus of a great deal of academic research, thousands of books, millions of seminars, webinars, training courses and qualifications. The implication is clear: leadership is a skill that can be taught and honed. Where is the training on becoming a better follower? Who would attend that course?

Types of Followers

Being an effective follower does not mean always agreeing with those in leadership positions, it does not mean blindly going along with any idea or initiative which comes from leaders. It is about taking responsibility, owning problems, appropriately challenging things which don’t make sense or could be improved. Leaders need followers they can count on to tell them the truth in a professional, concise and constructive way.

Being a good follower is something we can take pride in as BAs, as it depends on two skills we already have. The first is critical thinking, the second is active participation.

Critical Thinking

Business Analysts must apply critical thinking skills all the time to be successful in our roles. The term ‘critical thinking’ encompasses the ability to systematically solve problems, construct and evaluate arguments, make logical connections, highlight gaps and inconsistencies. All of these skills can be applied in a positive and collaborative way and ‘critical’ should not be confused with ‘criticism’.

Leaders should encourage independent thinking from their followers, as leaders cannot provide all the answers and need input and scrutiny for the ideas and strategies put forward.

Participation

When we choose to act or not act, care or not care, volunteer or step back, we are sending clear messages about our levels of participation within our organisations. BAs often rail against the deterministic attitude of “we have always done it that way” or nods around the table leading to no action, and we must be vigilant about these behaviours in ourselves.

‘Activism’ may or may not be in line with direction set by leaders. It is the role of leaders to listen to dissenting voices, if they have applied critical thinking and are actively participating even if it is not what the leader wants to hear, and it is the role of followers to engage in a positive and constructive way even if they don’t like where the leader is headed.

Participation begins with the courage to speak up, and in particular ask good questions, which is something BAs should be well practiced in.

Trusted Advisors

Many BAs do not seek traditional leadership positions, but do want to have a level of influence, feel our voice is heard and make a positive contribution. This utopia is often described as becoming a ‘trusted advisor’. How can we become trusted, so that our advice is both sought and impactful? There is no single route to becoming a trusted advisor, as it is dependent on the organisational context, levels of knowledge and experience, relationships and hierarchies, our attitude and the approach of those around us. But it starts with two skills: making an active contribution and applying critical thinking and (in other words, being an effective follower!).

Conclusion

If we are able to move away from the negative connotations of being a follower, and see the role as equal but different to leadership, we can recognise the importance of both skill sets.

By considering the quality of our followership skills, and prompting conversations about the type of followers that contribute to the success of organisations, we can promote participation, celebrate critical thinking and achieve better outcomes together.

Further reading:

[1https://hbr.org/1988/11/in-praise-of-followers“>https://hbr.org/1988/11/in-praise-of-followers

[2] Goffee & Jones (2019) Why should Anyone be led by you?

Sketchnote Sceptic?

Written by Christina Lovelock on October 16, 2020. Posted in Articles.

Visual thinking skills and the creation of visually engaging outputs are becoming more popular and prevalent. Is this a valuable business skill, or a forgettable fad?

What Are Sketchnotes?

The technique was defined and developed by Mike Rohde, and is closely related to other visual disciplines such as graphic recording, visual meeting facilitation and rich pictures.

Sketchnotes combine words and visual elements, to create a record or convey information. The visual elements might include simple sketches, icons and borders. The textual elements can be words or sentences, and make use of different fonts, styles, size and direction. Sketchnotes can be created digitally and by hand – or a combination of both.

The Case Against

Attention seeking?

Sketchnotes often grab our attention, but information filtered through someone else’s brain may arouse more questions than answers. “It’s interesting to see what someone else has learned, but is it helping me learn anything?” The usefulness of other people’s sketchnotes is very variable.

It’s for creative-types!

The professional sketchnote images we see can make us feel inferior. “I wouldn’t know where to start” and “I can’t draw” seem like valid barriers to trying this technique.

All the stuff

As with most aspects of our lives, there are a lot of options. This can translate to what feels like a lot of decisions to make, and “I don’t have the right pens/software/tablet…” can lead to an outcome of ‘do nothing by default’.

Really Listening

People speak quicker than we can write (or draw). If we are concerned about creating an attractive output, this might mean we miss something.

The Case For

Attention seeking?

There is no obligation to share our sketchnotes. We can all experiment with sketchnoting free from the pressures of other people’s opinions. The time may come when we create something to be proud of, and would genuinely be of use to others, but equally the notes are personal and do not have to make sense to anyone else.

It’s for creative-types!

The fact that professional photographers publish beautiful images does not stop the rest of us of using our phone cameras! Creativity is a skill that can be practiced and improved, not a set aspect of personality. We don’t need permission to try something creative, even if it’s outside our usual approach.

All the stuff

Though it would be tempting to believe the right equipment and software would take significant investment of time and money, the reality is that we have everything needed to try it. A pen, some paper, and something to learn or remember.

Really Listening

With the growing amount of virtual input – TED Talks, webinars, online events, remote meetings, we can easily become distracted or attempt to ‘multi-task’. Sketchnoting provides a mechanism to give our full attention to the situation at hand. Distilling the key messages is easier with sketchnoting than traditional notes!

Source: qaspire.com. Image reproduced with permission.

Sketchnote Skills

Listening and comprehension skills are more important than drawing skills for creating great sketchnotes.

People often use visual imagery when speaking, mention anecdotes and use metaphors. By picking out these visual clues, we can enrich the linear verbal information to create a connected visual record. Learning a very small number of icons can build the confidence to add images to notes.

Conclusion

Sketchnotes provide a lasting record of personal development activities; including books, events and training. Over time this builds to a library of knowledge we will be happy to revisit, to reactivate and refresh the learning.

If we let go of the desire to be perfect, and the narratives we tell ourselves about ‘not being creative’ and ‘no good at art’, we can move away from the ubiquitous pages of text and bullet points. We can create engaging outputs that help us remember more, synthesise information and make connections.

Resources

Mike Rhode, The Sketchnote Handbook (2012)

https://rohdesign.com/sketchnotes-1

http://qaspire.com/sketchnotes/

www.meetup.com/TheVisualJam

https://graphicsmadeeasy.co.uk/

How We Filter Information

Written by Christina Lovelock on August 27, 2020. Posted in Articles. 1 Comment on How We Filter Information

As BAs we pride ourselves on our attention to detail, but what do we attend to and what are we filtering out?

We live in a world of Information Overload. An incomprehensible amount of data is generated every minute of every day, but humans can only process so much, we simply have to filter most of the information we receive. Here are some of the common types of filtering we apply, and how they impact us and those around us.

Delete

A great deal of the information we see, read and hear simple washes over us, making no impression at all.

Example: If asked to summarise an hour long meeting, most people would:

remember some of the points discussed, but not all
mention some of the specific contributions made by others, but not everyone
cover the ‘jist’ of the meeting in about 2 minutes, max.

This is not at matter of recall and brevity, we have genuinely deleted most things that were said! Are we aware of the topics and people we routinely disregard? Sometimes there is a conscious thought of “this doesn’t apply to me” or “I don’t need to worry about that”, but more often than not we are deleting without realising.

If there are specific people who don’t get through this filter, what am I missing? How does that impact on them? How does it affect the relationship?

Distort

Some things get through the first filter, only to be rewritten, reinterpreted or misrepresented by our brains. This is the different between “what you said” and “what I think you meant”.

It’s useful to test our assumptions and interpretations “What I think you are saying is…” or “So what I heard from that was…” to give others the opportunity correct our distortions. Equally, when it’s important our message has been received as intended, we can ask for this information to be replayed. It is intriguing how people will playback what we ‘said’, using none of the same words!

Presenters will often summarise their point, or use a sign-posting phrase such as “so, what am I saying here?” to give the audience another chance to overcome their distortion filter and hear the information again, to test against what made it through the filter.

In our meeting example, the same meeting summarised by two different people may be unrecognisable, yet both are providing what they believe to be accurate information.

Generalise

Humans love patterns. We like to fit information into boxes which already exist in our minds. This can lead to missed opportunities, false assumptions, incorrect conclusions, stereotypes and bias.

We can try to catch ourselves thinking about “what we always do”, “what usually works” and watch out for use of hyperbole such as “always” and “never”, as they are rarely true.

Speaking to one customer or employee to canvas opinion is a dangerous way to make decisions, yet people often feel they have “consulted”, after doing just that. Big decisions need data-driven decision making. Do we have the evidence we need to support a decision? or are we just generalising and trading opinions?

Conclusion

We have to be able to filter information to be able to function on a daily basis. It is important to be aware of our filters, and how they may be impacting how we see ourselves, other people and the world. What am I missing? What am I focusing on at the expense of other things? Are my filters set correctly?

This is the mental equivalent of giving your glasses a clean every once in a while.